How to Know When It Is Time to Replace Your Figure Skate Blades on Figure Skates?

Figure skaters put excessive wear on their skates, with the steel blades contacting the ice almost continuously. Sharp blades are imperative to ensure that the blade edges hold onto the ice and provide stability. Depending on how much you use your figure skates, they will require regular sharpening. The number of times you sharpen your blades before replacing them varies depending on how often you skate. Pay attention to how your skates feel to know when it is time to replace your blades.

Instructions

    • 1

      Examine the blades to see how much sharpening zone remains. The sharpening zone is the bottom of the blade, sheared off at an angle to grip the ice. Look at the blade under good lighting conditions with the naked eye. Iif you do not see an angle on the bottom of the blade, it indicates that they need replacing because the sharpening zone is gone.

    • 2

      Check the sharpening zone for nicks and damage. While some small nicks will disappear during sharpening, sharpening will not remove large gouges. Deep gouges indicate that the blades need replacing.

    • 3

      Pay attention to how long your skates stay sharp. If the time between sharpening begins getting shorter, the blades may be wearing out.

    • 4

      Assess how the skates feel and how you are performing on the skates. If you start to fall more often, if your performance on jumps and landings starts to suffer or if your balance seems off, it may be time to replace your blades.